1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates generally to a drug storage and dispensing system. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a drug storage and dispensing system for pre-filled containers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional syringes are well known in the medical field to be used in connection with a vial of a medication, where the user collects or draws the fluid into the syringe immediately prior to injection and delivery of the fluid to the patient. Commonly, hypodermic syringes may be packaged as “pre-filled” devices, wherein the syringe is pre-filled with medication prior to being packaged and delivered to the patient. In this manner, the need for the user to fill the device prior to injection is eliminated, thereby saving time and maintaining consistent volumes for delivery.
However, packaging of such pre-filled syringes tends to be bulky and difficult to ship and store. A pre-filled syringe is typically packaged with the opening at the front end of the barrel including a cap thereover and with the plunger rod retracted out of the back end of the syringe barrel, with the fluid pre-filled within the syringe barrel. Such packaging creates an elongated package that can be awkward for shipping and storage.
Pre-filled syringes and pre-filled metered dose syringes are often filled with fluids, such as a medication, at a production facility, packaged, and then shipped to a medical facility. Once at the facility, these syringes are often placed in controlled storage and/or locked cabinets to reduce theft of the syringes themselves and/or of the contents of these syringes. The space within these controlled storage locations is often limited, thus there is a need for a storage format for pre-filled drug containers that minimizes the space occupied by such containers in the cold chain. Cold chain space is one of the inhibitors against conversion to pre-filled containers especially in developing regions.
Further, drug containers need to include information to help medical professionals identify the contents of the drug containers. Errors such as giving an incorrect medication or an incorrect dose can easily be made if the contents of the drug containers cannot be positively identified from the point of time that a medication is transferred to a drug container up to the moment of its administration.
The results of missed and unintended medication include adverse effects to patients and significant costs to the healthcare industry. Potential causes for these errors include unclear drug container contents due to unlabeled or poorly labeled drug containers and poor record keeping of which drugs were administered and the concentration and quantity of the administered drug.
Identifying the content of a drug container based on the appearance of that content is unreliable. Visual identification of the medication is very difficult since several of the medications are identical or nearly identical in appearance.
Furthermore, the protection of used needle tips of a syringe is important to reduce the risk of incurring an accidental needle-stick wound. With concern about infection and transmission of diseases, methods and devices to enclose the used needle have become very important and in great demand.